Pain questionnaires

Why do I need to fill in questionnaires about my pain?

Pain, and the way the pain is experienced, differs from one
person to the next, whether there is a specific cause for it or
not. This means that two patients with pain caused by the same
problem (such as a herniated disc) do not necessarily feel the same
level of pain.

The severity of your pain depends on such things as your
personal pain threshold, the in which way you cope with pain,
whether the pain is restricting your daily activities, how it makes
you feel, and how it affects your mood.

There may also be influences from the environment in which you
live which determine how badly you feel the pain. Such influences
are nowadays known as the biopsychosocial model of
pain. This is the model that modern doctors use to interpret
pain, and it states that the severity of your pain is determined
not only by physical problems, but also by personal factors and
aspects of your environment.

The questionnaire forms we ask you to complete assess all of
these factors. The pain specialist who will be treating you will
not only want to know about the physical cause of your pain, but
also about other factors that may affect the severity of your pain.
Such factors may make your pain feel worse, but may also make it
feel less severe. If relevant, the doctor can use this information
when designing your treatment.

Pijn.com provides reliable information on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. Complaints such as scar tissue pain, herniated discs or neuropathic pain are discussed.

The University Pain Centre Maastricht (UPCM), led by Dr. Sommer of the Maastricht UMC +, has received of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) the highest possible award, known as the Excellence in Pain Practice Award for Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Pain Practice. There are only a few other pain centres worldwide that have received this award. In particular the multidisciplinary approach of the University Maastricht Pain Centre is praised by the WIP.